Amar’e Stoudemire Thinks He Can Be Dominant Again

The Amar’e Stoudemire Experience, once so thrilling and promising, has turned downright depressing for New York Knicks fans and players. Just ask Carmelo Anthony, who admits to being saddened by his teammate’s constant battles with injuries.

As Amar’e Stoudemire shot on the far end of the court Tuesday, Carmelo Anthony said it’s “sad” to see his teammate continually fight back from injuries. Anthony is at the top of his game, but he knows he may never play with Stoudemire at an All-Star level again. “Yeah, I think about it,” Anthony said. “I think about it sometimes. He was one of the reasons why I wanted to come to New York. So for me not to have that chance, the opportunity to get a full season in and get a rhythm going with him, it’s not something I thought would happen.”

Stoudemire said “it’s a possibility” he could play in the Knicks’ regular-season opener Oct. 30. The six-time All-Star also remains confident he can return to his old form, but it’s another long road ahead following another knee surgery. Stoudemire and the Knicks haven’t divulged what the operation was. He said it was in the summer and “very, very minor.” But Stoudemire also had a debridement on both knees last season, limiting him to 29 games. That makes it hard to know when Stoudemire will be back, how compromised he will be and whether he will be effective. But all the surgeries didn’t affect his work ethic or self-confidence. “I do envision myself getting healthy and being able to dominate as I once did before,” Stoudemire said after a lengthy workout. “I can’t control injuries. All I can do is work extremely hard and do all I can do to prevent them and hopefully, this time will be the last time.”

With a couple of years left on his gargantuan deal, Knicks fans are simply hoping Amar’e can contribute once he puts a uniform back on. As for dominance, that seems more fantasy than anything else at this point.